TWiM explains how bacterial symbionts regulate tick blood feeding activity, and the reasons why antibiotics exist.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, and Michael Schmidt

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Links for this episode:

• Symbionts help ticks to feed (Cell Host Microbe)
• Why do antibiotics exist? (mBio)
• Shorter is still better (J Hosp Med)
• Shorter vs longer antibiotic courses (J Hosp Med)
• Francis Tally and tigecycline (Clin Inf Dis)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

On this episode of TWiM, how phages prevent other phages from invading their hosts without blocking their own reproduction, and plastic-degrading potential of microbes across the Earth.

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Links for this episode:

• Prophages encode phage-defense systems with cognate self-immunity (Cell Host Microbe)
• Prophages self-destruct to eliminate competitors (Cell Host Microbe)
• Plastic-degrading potential across global microbiome (mBio)
• Plastics in our foods (ENV media)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM discusses antigenic variation within dengue virus serotypes, and an mRNA vaccine that induces antibodies against tick proteins and prevents transmission of the Lyme disease agent.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, Michael Schmidt and Michele Swanson

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Android, RSS, or by email.

Links for this episode:

• Dengue virus antigenic variation (eLife)
• mRNA vaccine induces tick resistance (Sci Transl Med)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM reveals a study showing that positive interactions among bacteria are far more common than previously thought, and how acquisition of a single gene enabled Yersinia pestis to expand the range of mammalian hosts that sustain flea-borne plague.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, Michele Swanson, and Michael Schmidt

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Android, RSS, or by email.

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Links for this episode:

• Positive interactions are common among bacteria (Sci Adv)
• Expansion of mammal hosts for flea-borne plague (PLoS Path)
• Hurling fleas (TWiM #80)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

Mark Martin returns to TWiM for a discussion of the observation that Gram’s stain does not cross the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, and suppression of gingival inflammation and bone loss through host modulation caused by episymbiotic Saccharibacteria. 

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, Michele Swanson, and Michael Schmidt

Guest: Mark O. Martin

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• Gram’s stain does not cross cytoplasmic membrane (ACS Chem Biol)
• Gram stain protocol (pdf)
• Chemical  mechanism of Gram’s stain (J Bact)
• Episymbiotic Saccharibacteria suppress disease (Host Cell Microbe)
• Microedu listserve
• TWiM Listener survey

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

Petra Levin joins TWiM to tell three stories from her laboratory: how starvation induces shrinkage of the bacterial cytoplasm; plasticity of E. coli cell wall and how it influences antibiotic resistance across different environments; and induction of antibiotic resistance by Triclosan.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, Michele Swanson, and Michael Schmidt Guest: Petra Levin

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• Starvation induces E. coli shrinkage (PNAS)
• Plasticity of cell wall metabolism and antibiotic resistance (eLife)
• Triclosan induces antibiotic resistance (Antimicro Agents Chemother)
• TWiM Listener survey

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

On this episode of TWiM, using colicins to ferry DNA into cells through an iron transporter, and construction of highly efficient microbial fuel cells that produce more electrical current than previously observed.

Links for this episode:

• Colicins used to ferry DNA into cells (mBio)
• Highly efficient microbial fuel cells (Science)
• Silver assists fuel cells (Science)
• Biological transport goes the extra mile (PNAS)
• Long distance transport in cable bacteria (PNAS)
• Columbia U pledges fossil free buildings (Columbia U)

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Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM explores the role of biofilms in infection by coronaviruses, and development of a Shigella vaccine using outer membrane vesicles derived from Salmonella

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• Biofilms and coronaviruses (Appl Envir Micro)
• Outer membrane vesicle vaccine (Appl Envir Micro)
• TWiM Listener survey

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

On this episode, an electrochemical scaffold that delivers safe doses of hypochlorous acid to treat wound infections in humans, and a method for sampling and monitoring bacteria and viruses on surfaces using plain paper stickers.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michele Swanson, and Michael Schmidt

Links:

• E-scaffolds on TWiM 143
• The EPS matrix (J Bact)
• Integrated HOCL-producing E-scaffold (AAM)
• Surface sampling bacteria with paper stickers (AEM)
• Surface sample viruses with paper stickers (Sci Rep)

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM reveals how temporal shifts in antibiotic resistance elements govern phage-pathogen conflicts, and the intracellular localization of toxin-antitoxin proteins in E. coli.

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Links for this episode:

• Phage-pathogen conflicts (Science)
• A ‘Trap-Door’ Strategy for Mobile Element Escape (Front Micro)
• Location of toxin-antitoxin proteins (mBio)
• Babel-Jerusalem Bookstore
• Letters read on TWiM 249

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]